Valve elements and actuating elements for valve elements have been known for some time. Such a valve element is engageable by a suitable actuating element to open a valve and thereby allow escape of pressurized contents from a container. The actuating element may be carried by a delivery apparatus that may ultimately dispense the product, perhaps after heating the product (although not necessarily). A wide variety of products may be stored in the container, such as an insect repellent or insecticide, a hair care product, shaving cream or lather, or the like.
For example, Rossi U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,910 discloses a heatable shaving lather dispenser including a housing an elongate heat conductive block and a heater disposed in a channel in the block. A lather-carrying duct extends through the block in heat transfer relationship with the heater and a first end of the duct is in fluid communication with an aerosol container. A second end of the duct has a selectively operable valve disposed therein. The duct is maintained at container pressure and the valve is actuable to dispense heated lather into the hand of a user.
Wilkins U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,504 discloses a heated aerosol lather dispenser having a casing, a lather-containing pressurized aerosol container retained in the casing and a head disposed above the aerosol container. The head includes an electrically heated block having a passage therethrough in fluid communication with the lather in the container. A valved outlet is provided between the passage and a discharge spout and is selectively actuable to dispense lather.
Post-foaming shaving materials have been developed which are designed to be dispensed in gel form. The post-foaming shave gel may then be applied to the skin of the user and, in the course of such application, the post-foaming shave gel is worked in a fashion that causes the gel to foam. While such gels are effective to prepare the skin of the user for shaving, it is believed that the skin preparation effect and/or shaving comfort are enhanced when the gel is heated and then applied to the skin.
It may be desirable to have a valve element designed to supply a specific delivery apparatus with product wherein it is impossible or impractical to use the delivery apparatus with a container having a valve element that is not specifically adapted for use with the delivery apparatus.